INTERFAITH COALITION NEWS RELEASE
The Interfaith Coalition is running a campaign to collect backpacks for refugee students in Albuquerque. There are just a few more days to pitch in to this effort. This effort has been organized for five years by the volunteers who compose the Interfaith Coalition.
The students who need backpacks and school supplies are legally settled here by Lutheran Family Services, which has a contract with the US Government to settle and support these refugee families. By attending school, the refugee students can start to rebuild their lives here in the United States and integrate into their new communities.
If you have the time and resources, please consider donating a backpack full of supplies for one of these students. A link to the supply lists is located at the bottom of this article. Backpacks with no logos or insignias are preferred.
Collection boxes for the backpacks are located at four of the churches in Los Alamos, including Bethlehem Lutheran Church located at 2390 North Road by Mountain Elementary School, Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church located at 3900 Trinity Drive, the First United Methodist Church at 715 Diamond Drive by the Sullivan Field parking lot, and the Unitarian Church located at 1738 N. Sage Loop.
The congregation of the First United Methodist Church has worked to secure many backpacks for elementary-aged kids, so additional ones for Middle School and High School would be most beneficial. The last day to donate a backpack is the afternoon of Sunday, Aug. 4. The next day the backpacks will be taken to Lutheran Family Services in Albuquerque.
Gift cards are also welcome, from Walmart and Target, so that additional supplies or shoes can be purchased for the children. If you would like to donate gift cards, please deliver them to one of the church secretaries.
Many of these children have never attended school in the United States before. They arrive from Africa, Afghanistan, Asia, and various countries in Central and South America, and are eager to start learning English and to make friends in American schools. Thank you so much for any efforts you can make for this worthy cause.
Supply list links: